Big Green Targets

“Green” is in, and Big Green Targets (888-390-5548; www.biggreentargets.com) is the leading manufacturer of targets made from 100-percent recycled materials. Big Green’s newest line, Pro Series Field Point Bag Targets, comes in four convenient sizes: the 13x23x23-inch, 27-pound Stopper ($55); 14x32x32-inch, 42-pound Kodiak ($120); 14x36x36-inch, 55-pound Polar ($140); and 14x48x48-inch, 120-pound Monster ($250). Each is uniquely designed with square front, back, top, and bottom panels to produce a larger target face that also eliminates pass-throughs around edges, which is common with “pillow” designs. And, unlike pillow-design bags, these targets can be shot without support. Each wears an all-weather polypropylene shell with green aiming points printed on a white surface. They’ll stop blazing-fast arrows, but allow easy arrow extraction. The Stopper includes grommets for hanging or standing, the Kodiak and Polar deluxe bag offer carrying straps and Velcro-close bottom. The Monster is perfect for ranges and outfitters.

BIGShot Archery/Ballistic

BIGShot Archery/Ballistic’s (888-651-0029; www.ballistictargets.com) new Ballistic 300 ($60) offers more performance per dollar, a great looking target face, and 24x24-inch square inch shooting surface. It handles arrows up to 350 fps thanks to 50 percent more density than most bag targets in this class—and at a highly-affordable price. A heavy-duty fixed core and internal frame offers a solid shooting surface across the entire face, without affecting arrow-pulling ease. Replacement cores are available, helping the target last even longer.

Morrell Targets

If Morrell Targets (800-582-7438; www.morrelltargets.com) didn’t devise the idea of inexpensive, two-finger-pull field-point targets, it was certainly at the forefront. The new Buckshot Series Targets, the only targets in the industry designed with the pro shop in mind, let dealers now offer their own private-label target. The Buckshot Field Point Target ($40) is a 12x21x23-inch, 21-pound bag dressed in eye-grabbing orange with bullet-hole bull’s-eye patterns and a handsome new Buckshot logo. The Multilayered Density Design was conceived to handle the fastest bows while still allowing effortless arrow-pulling ease. The E-Z Tote Handle makes it great for bowhunters on the go, while it’s also waterproof and long-lasting for years of useful outdoor service.

SpyderWeb Targets

SpyderWeb Targets (269-982-8003; www.spyderwebtargets.com) S-Series Portable Targets are “bags” built with the rigid support of a block. It can stand alone or be placed on the company’s elevated stand to make turning to shoot opposite faces easier. Self-healing Spylar facing and layered interior components are guaranteed to stop arrows traveling up to 400 fps (450 fps in the XL model) while guaranteeing effortless, two-finger arrow removal with field points wearing flush inserts. Newer targets include multiple aiming points on front and back to provide confident shooting no matter how close or far you step away from the target. The targets are offered in the 10x18x18-inch S-1.5 ($110), 14x18x18-inch S-1.5 XL ($130), 12x24x24-inch S-2.0 ($150), and 14x30x30-inch S2.5 ($240).

American Whitetail

American Whitetail’s (812-937-7185; www.archerytargets.com) The Cube Hybrid brings targets into the 21st century. The Cube Hybrid ($45 to $65) operates differently than most bock targets. The center compression material is held in place inside an exterior foam shell as well as through the downward pressure of the target’s rigid, shock-corded disks. The directional design allows broadhead use without destroying the main body of the target. The economical, replaceable broadhead core receives the brunt of the punishment. The Cube Hybrid is offered in 18- and 20-inch cubes. Replacement Broadhead and HD Broadhead Cores are also available.

Big Green Targets

Environmentally-conscience Big Green Targets (888-390-5548; www.biggreentargets.com) offers many block options for the field-tip shooter. Pro Series Field Point Targets—in 13x16x20-inch, 17-pound Super Pro ($55); 13x20x24-inch, 28-pound Lightning Pro ($75); 13x24x24, 32-pound Magnum Pro ($85); and 13x28x28-inch, 36-pound Outfitter Pro ($95)—are the company’s top blocks, built for bowhunters who shoot often. All feature front and back high-definition screen-printed wild game images and 100 percent weatherproof protection via 6mm wrap. They include heat-bonded, layered closed-cell foam outer walls, plus cores filled with a combo of recycled fabric and foam capable of stopping 350-plus fps arrows dead. They also allow easy arrow removal and provide years of hard use.

For serious broadhead practice, Big Green Target’s new Broadhead Pro Series Targets—18x18x18-inch, 22-pound Broadhead Pro ($100) and 18x23x23-inch, 35-pound Broadhead Magnum Pro ($120)—also include realistic animal aiming points on opposing faces, 100-percent weatherproof protection, and recycled heat-bonded layered foam capable of stopping arrows zipping at 350-plus fps. Arrow removal is easy, and low-cost replacement faces extend the life of these already-tough targets.

Field Logic

Field Logic’s (715-395-9955; www.fieldlogic.com) original The Block, first in open-layered foam construction when it hit the market in 1997, has been reinvented as Block Classic ($90 to $110). Block Classic targets are offered at prices almost as low as the original introductory price 14 years ago. The new look includes an innovative high-contrast white-on-black layout to offer better target visibility at short and long ranges. Patented technology stops arrows with friction rather than force, providing a high degree of durability even after thousands of shots, combined with easy arrow removal whether shooting field tips, fixed- or deployable-blade broadheads. New Block Classics are available in three cube sizes of 18, 20, and 22 inches.

Working on the same high-contrast, white-on-black theme, the new Block Black, with wildly popular Block Fusion construction, makes target acquisition faster and more positive. PolyFusion technology binds multiple interior foam layers neatly inside bonded foam exterior walls, eliminating the binding bands used in Block Classic targets and making targets even more durable. It also promises even easier arrow extraction. Offset target zones further prolong target life with field points or any broadhead design. Look for them in four sizes, with MSRPs of $90 (12x16x16 inches), $110 (16x18x18), $130 (16x20x20), and $150 (16x22x22).

Hips Archery Targets

Hips Archery Targets (210-492-8774; www.hipstargets.com) has been in the target game as long as most of us can remember. The new X2 Series ($100 to $240) is a culmination of 20-plus-years experience, using cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of the modern archer wielding faster bows and deep-penetrating carbon arrows. This two-in-one target is designed to effectively catch both broadheads and field tips and last through thousands of shots. The lightweight design allows easy portability, from the largest to smallest options in the series. The targets’ 150 offset aiming points accentuate its extreme durability by assuring maximum use of the entire target surface. The X2 Series is also the only target on the market designed with a built-in tuning aid on the sides to fine tune your nocking point and center shot.

Morrell Targets

Morrell Targets’ (800-582-7438; www.morrelltargets.com) new Buckshot Broadhead Target ($55), part of the Buckshot pro-shop private-label series (see Morrell bags above), offers the easy-aim Buckshot pattern and Multilayered Density Design for long life. Measuring 16x18x18 inches and weighing 15 pounds, this affordable target also includes an E-Z Tote Handle and works as well with fixed-blade as mechanical broadheads shot from today’s fastest compound bows. The target’s 100 percent waterproof and offers easy arrow extraction.

Rinehart Targets

Rinehart Targets’ (608-757-8153; www.rinehart3D.com) rugged, easy-pull “self-healing” foam and patented locking center inserts set a new industry standard when introduced a decade ago. The new RhinoBlock XL Target ($180) uses these target technologies to create what just might prove the most resilient cube target on the market. Two sides of the cube include textured, life-like 3-D target zones, one with an outlined vital area of a deer, the other detailing an anatomically correct display of a deer’s vital organs. The target’s other four sides feature Rinehart’s signature highly visible target zones, allowing shooters to continue shooting in low-light conditions. Its weatherproofing stands up the elements, including prolonged exposure to the sun.

Viper Archery

Viper Archery (740-894-6100; www.viperarcheryproducts.com), better known for rugged bowhunting sights, offers the Barrel Target ($64), with 360-degree shooting surface. True, this technically isn’t a “block” target, but its innovative, patent-pending wrapped design absorbs energy from high-speed arrows, stopping projectiles cold with minimum penetration. This makes for easy arrow removal and longer target life. It also provides a 360-degree shooting surface, so no single face receives more than its share of abuse during practice. It includes weather-resistant vinyl graphics and is 16 inches high, 19 inches in diameter.